


Of stab wounds and world savings

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: A bit of HUrt Five at the end too, Alternate Scene, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood Loss, Diego Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Diego Hargreeves Whump, Diego Hargreeves-centric, Gen, Hurt Diego Hargreeves, Hurt/Comfort, Number Five has feelings, Season 2 spoilers, Set near the end of 2X04, Stabbing, Whump, a but of hurt Five at the end too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:48:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25980010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: Alternate end to 2X04.Diego gets stabbed by the Swedes when he's trying to help Five.Bloodloss, sadness and hurt ensues.Pointless Diego whump and a bit of nice-despite-himself Five
Relationships: Number Five | The Boy & Diego Hargreeves
Comments: 6
Kudos: 186





	Of stab wounds and world savings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TinyButWicked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyButWicked/gifts).



Diego hadn't had the best of times, in the sixties.

He'd been called all sort names: lunatic, maniac, and some many more colourful names about how they didn't want Mexicans, or Cubans, or anything near that in their country.

He'd been taken to an asylum where people had mocked and belittled him, constantly, and where nurses and orderlies had been anything but kind. Hell, the entire institution was built like a prison, and all the people in it had no right to a voice, to any sort of freedom - they couldn't do anything.

They couldn't do anything but talk, and do crafts, and take pills. The date in which Kennedy died was closing in and Diego was doing nothing about it, stuck in this old white abandoned building, seeing the minutes go slowly, slowly, they even taken his knives from him.

And although he continued to be a little bitch, when Five had appeared, things had started happening again, which wasn't bad. He escaped that terrible hole, Lila with him, they found some footage concerning the president’s shooting... It was not nice knowing that the world was ending again, Diego liked helping people, for God's sakes, but he was relieved to be able to be back in action.

Because that was what Diego loved, the action, the movement, helping, acting, protecting, continuing. Always doing, never stopping, always helping.

And that's when they went to dad, to try and find clues. and he was stabbed. By his own father. Left in the dark there, at night, bleeding. Stabbed in the gut. By dad. That figure that had ruled their lives for so long, that had made them as messed up as they were. He'd fought him. And beat him. It had been... hard. More than he'd like to admit.

Diego tried not to think too much about it, but it wasn't easy. That stab wound was probably going to scar. A forever reminder that his father had chosen to stab him rather than talk to him. Reginald had a great presence in their head, and somehow Diego's thoughts were twisting into how this was his fault, for being too weak, too slow, too... Powerless.

He'd been powerless again, useless as he bled out in the concrete, unable to move, to get dad to talk, to do anything. He'd failed and the only thing he'd been able to do had been lie there, in excruciating pain

No. He couldn't think like that. He couldn't let dad twist hi

Maybe this was not the most ideal mission, he couldn't wear as many as knives as he'd like to in that suit and maybe he would have never chosen Lila and Five as his team mates (Lila he'd just met and was hiding something and Five tended to drift off and disappear mid-mission) but they were going to get clues about what the hell dad was doing, and maybe as they did they would be able to help the president too.

That was good.

That him being a good soldier, helping others, as he was supposed to, as he wanted to do most of his life.

Five disappeared almost immediately. You really couldn't trust him to stay put or follow orders. Ever. No matter, he still had Lila and mybe could use this opportunity to enjoy life a bit. There was a song, and then came an awkward encounter with Grace, actual Grace (who was dating dad??? why would she?? she so deserved better) and then he tried to find the others, or find Dad.

He ended up in the parking, surrounded by expensive, elegant cars - the shine of the paint the only source of light in a very dark environment. But Diego had seen something out of the corner of his eye, a familiar flash of blue and...

Shit. Scandinavian giant guy. Again.

Beating the shit out of Five.

"Five?"

Why the hell was he taking it and not blinking?

And that was it. The single thought that lowered his guard, that made him vulnerable. Watching his brother beaten up like had made him unaware of the presences creeping behind him.

By the time he realised, it was too late.

Someone had a rough, big hand in his mouth and he couldn't scream. Couldn't let out a sound. One of those enormous Swedes got him, and he couldn't even scream, couldn't even let out any sounds. Another Swede was suddenly in front of him, and... He had a knife.

And with he stabbed him, once, twice, three times, four. While he squirmed, and moaned, but his screams were silenced. Helpless, powerless, just taking it. Silent, silenced, bleeding. The Sweded behind him moved, and he fell to the floor.

He wanted to move, but he couldn't move. Now the two Swedes that had attacked him were going Five's way too, and he couldn't help him. Bloody useless, he was, his life ambition and been to help and protect and now he was going to let his brother die at the hands of some two bit assassins. Five may not be hi favourite person in the world, but he'd run a lot of risks to get back, and he'd put his life on the line to save them, save the world. Diego respected that. (and Five was still his brother, no matter how mean he was)

There was something ironic on him possibly dying stabbed - maybe it was one of his own knives too. Diego had never been big on irony.

He tried to move, but it was almost impossible, and it only made his stab wounds bleed more, quicker. They burned, his wounds.

Ok, so he couldn't move. But maybe he could scream, draw some attention?

No.

He could only cough up blood, quietly, and nearly choke on it.

The fire in his wounds was nothing compared to the agony coming up his throat, and the horrible feeling of not being able to breathe.

Diego felt, once again, powerless. Helpless, insignificant, small. Unimportant. Just the way dad had made him feel, since he was little till just the previous day from this.

Was it so much to ask? To be able to really help? To be able to protect others, make the world a place with less abusers, a place in which less people were victimized.

Was it so much to ask, to be someone who mattered?

Maybe he wasn't meant to save the world.

Maybe all he was good for was being stabbed.

The sixties really sucked.

*

.... time lost his sharpness, and Diego s lost in the darkness....

There's pain, hot, red, spreading.... and there's a sleepyness with it....

something wet, is it raining? No, too dense.

Oh, yeah. Blood. Blood all under him.

He closes his eyes, opens them. It's still dark. It's getting darker.

Something coming his way, a noise, and then...

Blue.

A light, no two, and it's blue.

And big.

Diego realizes after a while that is not lights - those are eyes.

Five.

FIVE!

he is saying something, the blue lights on top of him, maybe calling his name?

No matter.

Diego has to warn him. They are coming for you, Five, be careful!

More darkness.

Someone sighs. It seems that they want to cry.

"I've got you." they say, and Diego decides that that is good enough.

He's warned Five, hasn't he? He thinks he has. That is good enough.

Darkness, again. 

darkness

*

Diego woke up all bandaged up, with blood bags attached to him.

Oh. So he hadn't died. That was good, he guessed.

He was still quite sore, and a bit out of it. Was it medication? Blood loss? He was at a hospital, that was certain, and he look like he was going to make it.

But maybe... Maybe this had been some sort of warning. Maybe after this was solved he should try to get a life, like Allison did, something beyond this heroics. If he was going to be helpless half of the time, what good was he? If he was just going to be a bleeding funny footnote, what was the point?

All his life he had wanted to save the world, help others, matter. And this was the way in which he'd known how to do it, but maybe... Maybe he just wasn't enough.

"Oh, you're awake!" a nurse said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Good, we'll send your son in. He explained to us how your resemblance to that escapee is only an unfortunate family resemblance, so we could call the police officers back."

His son?

"And maybe you can convince him to let us check him over? We tried, but... he's... quite a stubborn young man." she said, and left with a smile.

Oh. Five.

Five looked like absolute shit as he came in. Broken lip, gashes on his cheeks and forehead, an eye that was going to turn black soon enough. And he seemed to be limping. Right, the Swedes.

"I gave the description of the Swedes to the police officer who _kindly_ asked me about who assaulted us, hopefully that will buy us some time, or at least make it more difficult for them to get to us."

Smart.

Yet another reason why he wasn't fit to save the world - he wasn't that smart. Would probably never be. He thought he didn't need to be that smart to protect others, but... Five's face was a mess, even if he acted all nonchalant. He'd failed him.

"Lila is coming in some minutes, says she trailed dad and Grace to a limo, and that they were alone. Big help."

Five didn't seem angry at him, though. And at least this time, he'd stayed, with him. And there was something... in his eyes... But he wasn't great at reading people, either.

The nurse came back, rudely interrupting Diego's thoughts.

"Did you convince him? We are a bit worried about all the bruises." oh, right, he was supposed to make Five want to be checked by sixties nurses. Fat chance.

"Not yet." he said, trying to smile.

"Such a vigorous boy, he was adamant we used his blood for you if there was a shortage, but we had to tell him that we're not sure he reaches the minimum weight required. Such a caring little darling, so worried for his dad."

Five threw the nurse a look that could melt glaciers. Burn down entire forests.

She left, probably a bit scared.

"You... you offered your blood?"

"Yeah, well, since you got yourself stabbed so many times." he was trying to sound mean, but not quite achieving it.

Diego was still terribly sore from all his wounds, but managed to sit up a bit in the bed.

"... but... I failed you. The Swedes were coming for you and I couldn't even warn you."

"Yeah, well, I've failed you guys too, plenty of times. We're human. It happens."

"You offered your blood."

"Yeah, Diego, I did. You may be a simple minded knucklehead but it doesn't mean I want you dead." Diego may be simple minded, but he understood. This meant _"I'm glad you're okay and I don't want you hurt_ " in Five language.

Diego smiled.

"And besides," Five said "we still have a world to save, remember?"

Yes.

Yes, yes, they did.

And they may stab him, dad, the Swedes, everyone, but he scarred, he got back up and went back to his calling, back to save the world.

And yes, he was not perfect.

He was human - and sometimes, he was helpless. But he would not blame himself for that, not anymore.

He hadn't been able to warn Five, but they were still both alive, ready to fight in another day.

I may fail you today, I may save you tomorrow.

As long as they were still fighting, they would never be completely helpless.

"Yeah." he said. "We still have a world to save."

And maybe, despite everything, despite dad, and those assassins...

Maybe he was meant to save it.

He could still save the world.

(And JFK) (if possible)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked! Thanks for reading! Just some hurt Diego for all your bloodloss Diego needs. 
> 
> You know you want comment! ;)


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